The What If Anthology
by snakeboy33
Summary: Any "What if..." that can be thought can be found here. Nothing is out of reach here. Any idea is a good idea. Accepting prompts. Number 9: "What if Mavis raised Larcade?"
1. Fairy Tail was a dark guild?

… _ **.Fairy Tail was a Dark Guild?**_

Magnolia wasn't a safe place, plain and simple. Especially after the Dark Fairy, Mavis Vermillion worked her way into the town, and usurped Blue Skull as its ruler. Now, the people of Magnolia tip-toed their way through the town, so as to avoid the gaze of Fairy Tail. And anyone who hoped to visit Magnolia had to be careful as to not draw their attention. It was constantly raining in the town, due to an enchantment by one of the guild's members. The message was clear for the people: you have no hope.

The guild hall was in the center of town, towering over all the buildings, including the Cathedral that once served as Blue Skull's head quarters. Mavis had it placed the blue dragon skull of Blue Skull upside down on top of the cathedral to remind the people of who now ruled them. Inside of the guild hall, the building was quite large, with an open drinking hall, with the banner of the guild draped over it. There was a throne beneath it, where the Mistress of the guild, Mavis, sat.

The hall was currently bustling with people. As a dark guild, they didn't receive jobs; instead, they got income through racketeering, and subjugating the dark guilds. There was talk about Mavis having a larger plan, but nobody dared to question the Lady. So, Fairy Tail generally spent their days going about bullying others into giving them proper tribute, or drinking and brawling in their hall. Fortunately, no one died, but that was mostly again because of Mavis keeping the guild members all in line.

"Those punks down in Gorgon Hair have been skimping on the protection payment lately," a purple haired man named Macao said, looking over the records.

"Those bastards are a bunch of idiots," a guy with a cigarette in his mouth named Wakaba said, "Don't they realize their only alive by the grace of the Lady?"

"Don't worry," Macao said with a dark grin, "They were just sent a 'reminder', about payment."

 **(somewhere in Fiore)**

The dark guild, Gorgon Hair was located deep in a forest, opposed to a town like Fairy Tail. Supposedly it kept them hidden, but for someone with experience tracking, finding it was quite easy.

Now Gorgon Hair was among Fairy Tail's vassals. It gave Fairy Tail tribute, and supported Fairy Tail when it was needed. In exchange, Fairy Tail didn't come and kill every last member. It was a pretty good deal, especially considering the kinds of people Fairy Tail had on its side.

Standing before the guild hall were two people. One was a woman with long scarlet hair, wearing armor with the symbol of Fairy Tail on it. She was carrying a long scimitar. The other was a man wearing a black, sleeveless trench coat, and white pants, with spiky pink hair. He gave a massive grin and cracked his neck.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Do you even need ask that?" the woman answered. With that, the man suddenly launched forward, and slammed his fists into the door, which burst open. The members inside were caught completely off guard when a torrent of fire consumed several of them, leaving nothing but charred bodies. Shortly after, in a scarlet flash, several men were cut down. It didn't take long for everyone to realize what was going on.

"You're Natsu, the Burning Serpent!" one guy said, pointing at the man.

"And Erza, the Scarlet Bane!"

"Congratulations," Erza said sarcastically, "You can relay what people have told you." With that, she held up her sword.

"We'll have the money for Fairy Tail soon I swear!"

"Not good enough," Erza said calmly, "Besides, we can't have the others thinking that we've gone soft. All it took was one swing. Meanwhile, Natsu was clearly having the time of his life, as he roasted just about every guy who was too slow. What was going on couldn't even be called a "fight", it was more like a one-sided slaughter.

"Isn't anyone going to give me a challenge?" Natsu roared, steam leaking from his mouth.

"We need to leave some of them alive," Erza said, as she put a boot down on the head of another thug, "Its more efficient to keep them as a vassal."

"But that's no fun," Natsu said, baring his teeth.

"Its me who has to tell the Lady about losing tribute," Erza said, "Its basic math, more vassals, more tribute."

"Math is for wimps," Natsu said, cracking his neck, "Let's just raid their stash and take it all ourselves!"

"Aye sir!" Natsu looked down as a blue shape crawled up his leg, and onto his shoulder. It was a lizard with a long tail and blue scales. It had a red fin going down its spine.

"Let's just get it now!" Happy, Natsu's lizard partner said. Natsu named him that after Happy hatched, since after he hatched, he attacked and killed a mouse, and looked quite happy eating it. Mavis would later put a spell on him, allowing for Happy to talk.

"No, and that's final," Erza said, before looking around, "Now where's the Master?"

"Got get 'em, Happy," Natsu said.

"Aye!" Happy said. With that, he slithered off his partner, and into the shadows. After a minute or so of waiting, Gorgon's Hair's master stumbled out of a closet, Happy bitting his hand. Natsu moved to get him, but Erza beat him to the punch, literally, as she slammed an armored face into his schnoz.

"Care to say why your tribute is about two weeks late?" she then asked, picking up the master by the collar.

"Buis… Business is slow," the master forced out.

"How hard is it to just rob a train or something?" Natsu said, "Or a bank?"

"There's nothing good in the area!"

"Are you offering excuses?" Erza inquired, arching an eyebrow, as she spun her sword through her fingers, "You know our Lady doesn't like excuses."

"No Ma'am!" the master forced out, "I'll have your tribute next week, I promise!"

"Then its a shame I don't put any stock in promises from rats like you," Erza said, before holding up her sword, "And I'm afraid that and examples have to be made of men like you. Can't have the other vassals thinking that they can get away with this, now can we?" Before the man could even scream, she swung her sword. The master fell to the ground, in two pieces.

"I thought as much," Erza said with a sigh, as she wiped her sword clean, "What a pity, the Lady actually kind of liked you." She then pointed to one of the thugs on the ground.

"You!" she said.

"Y… Yes Ma'am!"

"Congratulations, you'e just been promoted!" Erza said, "Don't make the same mistakes!" After getting confirmation that it wouldn't happen again, which neither Erza nor Natsu believed in the least, they took their leave. Natsu tossed a black necklace to himself.

"What's that for?" Erza asked.

"For Lucy!" Natsu said with a dark grin, "You know how much she likes treasures like these!" Erza sighed.

"You have seriously poor priorities," she said. As they were walking by, the passed a dark mage who managed to escape by crawling away from the carnage. Natsu snapped his fingers, and the man promptly ignited.

"Do you have to do that?" Erza asked.

"What do you care?"

"I don't, but it smells terrible."

 **Note: A pet project I've been mulling about in my head. I would like to site** _ **Tales of Fairies**_ **as a point of inspiration in this. These will pretty much just be one shots, brief experiments with ideas. Though if some ideas prove popular enough, or interesting enough, they will be continued to an extent.**

 **This idea was completely on a whim, and I'm honestly surprised there aren't more stories using this concept. Of course this concept does offer a series of limitations if you want to go all the way with it. But seeing as this is just a one shot, there's no need to go into complex detail like that. I understand this is short, but again, this is just a brief what would a dark guild version of Fairy Tail be like. Its not an attempt to do a full length story out of this.**

 **There is no idea that is too outlandish or too silly. Any "what if" concept that one can think of is fair game. Though there are things I may not be able to do, but no guarantees either way.**

 **Be sure to review, and prompt.**


	2. Natsu was a crossdresser?

… _ **.Natsu was a crossdresser?**_

Lucy was a "normal" person, right? And it was "normal" for a person to deck an intruder on their house, right? And another "normal" person would start learning that intruding wasn't a good idea, right? And yet, Natsu kept on barging into Lucy's room.

The blonde walked into her room after a long day, and just wanted to take a break, before seeing Natsu kicked back on one of her chairs his feet propped on the desk.

"Yo, Lucy!" Natsu said, as he waved with a grin.

"Natsu!" Lucy snapped, "How many times…. Close your legs!" Normally Natsu with his feet up wouldn't be an issue, but this time, he was wearing a red skirt, and that showed more than Lucy wanted to see. It wasn't just the skirt, Natsu was also wearing a white blouse and a long pink wig that fell past his shoulders. And on top of everything else, he was wearing makeup. It was kind of strange how much like a girl he really looked like.

"But this is so comfortable," Natsu said, though he didn't protest, as he put his legs down, and stood up. That was when Lucy noticed something.

"Natsu," she said through gritted teeth.

"Mhm?"

"Isn't that my skirt?" she asked, pointing. Natsu looked down, and fluttered the skirt slightly.

"Yeah," he said, "Mira always says that red's my color, and I've seen you wearing red skirts, so I thought I'd borrow this."

"Aren't you supposed to ask someone before taking their clothes?" Lucy asked.

"But I didn't want to wait," Natsu said, "I wanted to see if it worked like Mira said it would." Lucy sighed as she rubbed her temple. From what she had heard from the others at the guild, after Igneel disappeared and before he arrived at Fairy Tail, Natsu ended up spending some time with some women who liked to dress him like a girl, and it just sort of became a habit for the Dragon Slayer. It had been rather awkward for Lucy to find out, when she found a pink haired girl in her house. Then Happy took off Natsu's wig. Needless to say the uncomfortable silence lasted some time.

"Well," Lucy said, looking over Natsu, "I guess it works. Goes with your… hair." Natsu picked at a strand of his wig, which looked rather messed up.

"I can never get this thing right," he said. Lucy sighed, as she pinched herself between the eyes.

"I don't think a boy could ever get it right," she said, "Sit down. I'll do it for you." She then sat Natsu back down on a chair, pulled out a brush, and started brushing. Mira told her how he got it. Lisanna gave it to him when their were kids (how _she_ got it Lucy didn't know), though Natsu never actually wore it. However, when Lisanna died, Natsu started wearing it whenever he went out dressed as a girl. She knew how sensitive of a subject this was for the Dragon Slayer, so she didn't speak about it. After a few minutes of brushing, Lucy ran her hand through the wig. That was when she got an idea, a way to perhaps pay Natsu back for constantly intruding.

"Alright," Natsu said, as he leapt to his feet, "Now what?"

"Now I'm going shopping," Lucy said.

"Shopping?"

"I'm not going to let you keep stealing my clothes," Lucy explained, "If you want to try something new, then do it with stuff that isn't mine."

"But I've never been out in public like this!" Natsu said.

"Relax," Lucy said, "I'm not going to drag you out like this, you won't be able to figure out a good thing to get anyway. But all of these things are going to be on you!" Not giving Natsu time to argue, she departed, and headed out to the shopping center. Natsu opted not to leave, figuring he owed her this much as well.

After some time, Lucy returned, carrying several bags, which she tossed on her bed. She then took one outfit, and shoved it into Natsu's arms.

"Try this one!" she instructed. Natsu just shrugged, and started to undress.

"In the bathroom!" Lucy snapped, as she kicked him into the bathroom.

After a little while, Natsu came out. He was wearing a red skirt with a white dress shirt and a blazer. Lucy then pulled out a special magic tool that she bought. She then waved it around. Natsu's wig then reformed itself into a braid.

"What are you doing?" Natsu asked, but then there was a flash, as Lucy held a camera.

"Lucy!" Natsu said.

"Now unless you want these photos delivered to Sorcerer Weekly! You'll dress in every outfit I go you!" Lucy instructed. Natsu tried to protest, but Lucy gave him another outfit, and kicked him into the bathroom.

For the next hour or so, Nat's dressed in all sorts of outfits, Lucy got him, and hairstyles done with her magic hair styler. The second one were skinny jeans with a pink tank top, with the hair tied into a pony tail. The third was a long pink dress with a bow tied around dress, and the hair in girly pigtails. The fourth was a black party dress with the hair done up into a bun.

But Lucy's favorite was a pink princess dress that fell to the floor. Natsu's wig was done in a long waves, and for extra measure, put a little red bow on top of the wig.

"Look at you!" Lucy said, "You look so cute! Do a little twirl for me." Natsu obliged, and twirled slightly.

"Tell me your a pretty princess!" Lucy said, grinning sadistically.

"Lucy!"

"There is a Sorcerer Weekly office in Magnolia."

"I'm… I'm… I'm a pretty princess!"

"Now play with your pretty locks for me!" Natsu obliged, and fluffed his hair, and tossed it slightly, all while Lucy cackled maniacally.

This continued for some time, as Lucy took her revenge. It would be a long time before Natsu decided to invade Lucy's privacy again.

 **Note: This was done to offset the dark, grim tone of the first one. Something more lighthearted and soft. Take note that not all of the "What If"s have to be dark or serious. Again, nothing is off limits.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this. It was, again, intended to be a lot nicer.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt.**


	3. Natsu lived in Alvarez?

… _ **.Natsu lived in Alvarez?**_

Vistarion, the capital of the Alvarez Empire was, for the most part, a peaceful place. The Twelve Shields of Spriggan generally kept it quite ordered, and so crime was low enough to prevent any problems from arising, and the people were happy. However, that didn't stop the occasional ruffian from showing up.

"Someone help!" a woman cried. The people in the streets turned to see three men in full body blue spandex with massive posteriors running from a woman on the ground, with the lead guy carrying a purse.

"Come lackeys!" the leader, who had black hair, and plenty of black scruff on his face, "Let us show them the true terror of the Butt Jiggle Gang!"

"Yes Boss!" the two other guys sounded off, as they ran away.

"Someone stop them!"

"They're getting away!" The guys kept running, until suddenly, a shape landed in front of them.

"No one steals from my people!" The thugs stopped, as they looked at the guy in front of them. It revealed a young man with spiky pink hair, wearing a white scaly scarf. He was wearing a a red and black vest, and black pants. Both of his fists were steaming. On his shoulder was the symbol of the Alvarez Empire.

"Its the Prince!"

"Long live Prince Natsu!" the people all cheered. It was indeed the Crown Prince of the Empire, Natsu Dragneel, the younger brother of Emperor Spriggan. The gang all balked at the sight of the prince, who also had a reputation as a terrific mage. Some say he was trained by a dragon.

"Now, this can go…" Natsu didn't finish, as the gang dropped the purse.

"Retreat lackeys! Retreat!" the leader cried, "We will have to strike another time." Natsu cocked his head in confusion, as he watched them retreat. Several armored guards suddenly ran up behind Natsu.

"Shall we chase them, your Highness?" one of the guards asked.

"Nah," Natsu answered, "I don't think they're really bad guys." He then turned on his heels, and started walking back towards the palace. As he did, the people cheered their prince while some bowed to him.

Once Natsu came back to the palace, he was swarmed by servants who asked if he needed them. At the same time, one of the Emperor's personal aides and guards, the Spriggan 12, Invel, approached him.

"Your Highness, you cannot be walking about the city like that," Invel said.

"What do I have to worry about?" Natsu asked, I can kick the ass of anyone who's dumb enough to take a shot at me." Invel sighed, adjusting his glasses slightly.

"His Majesty trusted me and my peers with your protection," he said, "It would be much easier if you were more cooperative, and stayed here."

"Cooped up in this giant prison?" Natsu said with a frown, "Hell no!"

"I agree with his Highness," another Shield of Spriggan, Azir, said, with a smile, "Besides, who would be stupid enough to attack an Imperial prince in broad daylight?"

"You worry too much, Invel," a third Shield, Dimmaria piped up, as she came over, "Let the Prince do what he wants."

"See!" Natsu said, with his trademark grin, "Everyone else here, agrees with me." Invel sighed, as he rubbed his temples.

"Just, try and be safe, out there," he said, "You're the heir to the Empire, seeing as his Majesty has no children as it is."

"Don't remind me," Natsu said with a frown. In the list of things he didn't want to be, Emperor wasn't high on that list. Being a prince was constraining enough as it was, but Zeref always wanted Natsu to be educated and trained in the ways of ruling. It didn't help that the older Dragneel was often gone doing gods' know what.

"I'm hungry," Natsu said, "I'm going to the kitchens."

"We'll bring you something, your Highness," a servant said.

"I'm going to the kitchens," Natsu repeated, as he started walking.

"At least wear something more dignified," Invel said, "You're Emperor Spriggan's brother and heir. You should look like the prince you are." Knowing that he would pester him until he did, Natsu obliged.

"By the way," Natsu said, "Why do you keep calling Zeref, 'Spriggan'? That name's so weird." As he was hustled away by servants to be more properly dressed, Invel rolled his eyes.

"Hard to believe that petulant boy is his Majesty's brother," he said.

"I heard his Majesty has a lover in Ishgar," Azir said.

"Maybe we'll have a new heir soon enough," Dimmaria mentioned

 **(with Natsu)**

Natsu tugged at the color of his regal outfit, which was bright red with gold highlights, with tassels, and images of dragons. There was also a cape with the symbol of Alvarez on its back. Gods, did he hate this outfit. Nothing about it was necessary.

As he bit into an apple, he leaned back against the window he was sitting in, looking over Vistarion. Since his brother brought him to the capital, Natsu had barely gone a few miles out of the city. Zeref hadn't even shown him much of the empire beyond it. And since then, Natsu was getting more and more frustrated.

The prince was sitting in his room, which was a massive suite, with a king sized bed, a large bath with dragon fountains, and several large chairs and couches. Certainly a room fit for an Imperial prince. And Natsu hated it as well, nothing was more symbolic of being trapped than something like this.

"Is there something the matter, Natsu?" Natsu glanced over his shoulder, and saw a blue cat with a pair of wings floating. Happy, as Natsu named him, was one of Natsu's oldest, closest friends, having been with Natsu since he was a child, when he hatched Happy from an egg. It had taken some convincing from Natsu in order to get Zeref to let him keep Happy.

"I'm just so bored," Natsu answered, as Happy jumped onto his shoulder, "There's nothing to do in the palace."

"What should we do?" Happy asked. Natsu then looked around, as if looking for anyone who may have been listening, before leaning in.

"I hear that Zeref isn't going to be back for another few weeks," he said, "Let's go check out the ocean!"

"What's at the ocean?" Happy asked.

"Its the ocean!" Natsu said, "Everyone likes to go to the ocean!"

"What are we going to tell Shields?" Happy asked.

"Nothing!" Natsu said, "Let's go!" With that, he leapt out the window.

"Wait up, Natsu!" Happy said, as he flew out the window, and caught Natsu. With that, they flew out over the city.

"Hey, Natsu?"

"Yeah?" Natsu answered, looking up at his friend.

"What are you going to do if you become Emperor?" Happy asked.

"Don't even think about that!" Natsu said firmly, "No way am I going to be Emperor!" He knew that his brother was immortal; there was no chance of Natsu having to succeed him. Not that Natsu would care, being a prince was tough enough, being an emperor would be even worse.

"Now let's go!" he said, pointing into the horizon.

 **(at the palace)**

Invel was rather incensed. The Prince had ran off again, and no one could find him anywhere in the city. He was now pacing nervously.

"Relax," Irene said, as she sat on a love-seat in the lounge where the Shields often relaxed, studying her nails, "He can take care of himself."

"I have to be the one to tell Emperor Sprigan where his brother is," Invel said, "I don't want to be at the brunt of his annoyance."

"The prince is easily one the strongest person in the empire," Irene said, as she took a sip of tea, "Not as strong as me or August, of course, but strong enough." Invel took a breath. He figured if anyone knew Natsu would be safe, it would be Irene. The Scarlet Despair had been, for all intents and purpose, a surrogate mother to Natsu. Some suggested, never to Irene's face, that maybe Natsu had been a replacement for another child Irene lost.

"And if he gets in trouble," Irene said, "I'll turn him into a lizard for a time." Invel just rolled this eyes.

"How in the hell did that demon end up being our prince?"

 **Note: I'm honestly surprised there aren't more stories like this one. I feel there is quite a bit of potential in this idea. The context of this is that Natsu was taken by Zeref in the year x777, instead of going out, and ultimately ending up at Fairy Tail. I omitted Larcade in this because we still don't know what his relation with Natsu and Zeref is just yet.**

 **This is one that I may continue slightly if the urge strikes me. Again, there is great potential in this idea.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt.**


	4. Natsu could access his Etherious powers?

… _ **.if Natsu could access his Etherious powers?**_

The Grand Magic Games were going off without a hitch. The fights were, for the most part, fair and exciting, the crowd was completely enthralled, and each guild was putting their all into each battle. That was except for one guild, and that was Fairy Tail. That was because they had yet to send Natsu out. As far as most people were aware, Natsu Dragneel was a Dragon Slayer, and while that was impressive enough as it was, the "man" wasn't actually a "man".

"Damn it!" Natsu whined, "When am I going to go fight!"

"I'm sure it'll be soon," Erza said.

"Yeah, you're way to entertaining as a fighter to _not_ include," Lucy said.

"I don't see what you're so excited about," Wendy said, "I wouldn't want to go jumping into a fight like that." Then, as if on cue, fate opted to play a joke.

"The next match: Natsu Dragneel vs…. Jura Neekis?!" the announcer said in surprise. There were surprised murmurs throughout the crowd. They all knew Natsu was strong, but going against one of the Ten Wizard Saints?

"They're kidding right?" Lyon said, "Against Jura, probably the strongest person in the Games?"

"Maybe its a mistake?" Chelia offered. But despite everyone's confusion and nervousness about what was going to happen, Natsu was more than ready to enter into the fight, as he cracked his knuckles.

"I'm all fired up!" he declared, slamming his ignited fists together, as he leapt off the balcony, and pointed to Jura.

"I'm waiting old man!" he said. Jura smiled in anticipation, before also jumping to the ground.

"Forgive me, but I respect you too much to not use my full power," he said, as he took a casting stance.

"I ain't going to hold back either," Natsu declared, as he clenched his fists. The gong then sounded, and Natsu naturally made the first move.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Jura easily blocked with a block of stone. He then flicked his fingers, as several stone fists sprung out of the ground. Natsu managed to avoid most of them, before he inhaled, and spewed fire at Jura. Jura just formed a stone dome over himself, blocking the attack again.

"You're fire is strong," he said, "But I'm afraid they simply aren't strong enough!" He then slammed his fists into the ground, as a huge pillar of stone erupted out of the ground, and knocked Natsu away. But that didn't do much more than stun the Dragon Slayer, who used the fire to boost him forward, and proved strong enough to punch through the stone wall that had been formed in defense. Jura was socked in the first, and sent skidding away, but when he looked up, he just smirked.

"Seven years and you haven't lost any of your touch," Jura said, "That's good to know. But its only fair to show you what I achieved in the past seven years." He then put his hands together. Two massive stone hands emerged from the ground. Natsu managed to dodge the first one, but the second one got a hold of him, and slammed him into the ground.

"Natsu!" Lucy called.

"Natsu's strong," Lyon said with his arms folded, "But he's still nowhere near Jura's level." Natsu emerged from the dust, panting.

"Damn!" he said, "I felt that one!"

"You will have to train for a lot longer than that in order to defeat me," Jura said, as he kept his fighting stance.

"You haven't seen my game face yet," Natsu said, as he wiped the side of his mouth, and grinned. His body was then consumed with fire.

"Wait, is he…," Lucy said.

"I think he is," Erza said, narrowing her eyes.

"He can't show that in public!" Macao said from the stands, "Master you've got to stop this!" Makarov's brow furrowed.

"There is nothing in the rules about entering non-humans into the Games," he said, "This is just Natsu using a natural ability he has." Natsu then held up his arms, as he floated in the air. Jura then began to feel something. Something… immense.

"This feeling," Jura said, as his teeth clinched, "What is it?"

"Etherious Form!" His skin turned red, as scaly plates climbed down his arms, and onto his hands, as long thing claws came out of his finger tips. Out of his back unfolded a pair of sharp, skeletal wings, with the webbing being made of congealed fire. A long scaly tail tipped with a flaming blade came out of his back, as his body was coated in sharp, red and black armor. His head then vanished into the flames, as an outline appeared of a skeletal head with sharp teeth, and blazing eyes. It didn't take long for it to dawn on people what was happening.

"Its a demon!"

"Fairy Tail has a demon!"

"This truly a shocking turn of events," the announcer said, "Sir Yajima, what is your opinion on this."

"I just hope Maki know's what he's doing," Yajima said. He was among those few outside of Fairy Tail who knew what Natsu was, and that was a demon, or more specifically, an Etherious, and not just any Etherious. The most powerful of them all.

"He's one of the most powerful beings in Earthland," Erza said, "I don't think there's a person anywhere who could ever hope to defeat him."

"This power," Jura said, as he stood in awe at the massive fire being, "Its… its…." There were no words to describe it. The flaming head grinned.

" **Now,** _ **this**_ **is my game face!"** Natsu said, as he held up his hands. Tendrils of fire then sprouted from each fingertip, with each one having a head. They then all bore down on Jura like snakes. Jura held up his hands to create a stone wall to block it, but the stone was easily smashed by the heads, and the Wizard Saint had to leap away. His face clenched in concentration, as he put his hand to his face. Several fists of stone then sprung up around Natsu. But the demon didn't even flinch. The bone wings then held up, turning into flaming bone hands, which clenched into fists. All the stone fists shattered against the flaming fists.

"He's winning against Jura!" Chelia said, "How strong is this guy?" Wendy's keen ears heard her friend.

"Sorry Chelia," she muttered with a gentle smile, "But not even Jura can beat Natsu." Natsu then dove at Jura, as he held one of his claws.

" **Fire Demon's Iron Fist!"** Jura held up his hands, as several thick stone walls rose from the ground. Natsu blasted through each one of them, and slammed his fist into Jura's gut. The Wizard Saint was sent careening away, but he wasn't allowed to land. Natsu turned into a stream of fire, and appeared behind Jura, before throwing him into the ground. He then held up his hands.

" **Fire Demon's Secret Technique!"** Natsu said.

"Wait he's using _that_?!" Gray said.

"Natsu stop!" Lucy cried, "You could kill him!" But Natsu didn't respond.

" **Tower of Babel!"** There was then a huge column of fire that erupted out of the ground, and went all the way into the sky.

"Jura!" several Lamia Scale mages cried together. The crowd was in horrified silence, as they watched the dust fade. And when it did, it showed Jura, relatively, unharmed, with a shellshocked look on his face. There was a massive crater like next to him. Natsu had purposefully missed. The Fairy Tail mages gave a sigh of relief.

"Well.. well," the announcer stuttered, "I think we can safely say that Natsu Dragneel of Fairy tail wins."

" **Hell yeah!"** Natsu said, pumping all four of his fists **, "I win!"**

"All that power," Sting said, "And that wasn't even him using his Dragon Slayer abilities." Natsu returned to his normal form, as he bent down at Jura, with a grin.

"That was the first time in a while I had to go all out," Natsu said, offering a hand. Jura took a breath, as he was pulled up by Natsu.

"That was quite some power," he said nervously.

"Hell yeah it was!" Natsu said with a smirk.

 **Note: I noticed a lot of E.N.D. fanfics generally consist of a Natsu with a darker personality, but I figured there's a great deal of potential in a concept of regular Natsu having access to that power. For the sake of context, Natsu can't use** _ **all**_ **the power there. If he did, then there was no way the setting we're doing now would even happen. And, like I said before, in a full story would of course open all sorts of complications that would need addressing, but for the sake of keeping this story simple, I'm not.**

 **Just for the record, if anyone wants to take these ideas and make them into full stories, take it away.**

 **And to Howler66. Sorry you don't like it, but no. I don't have to do anything just because you don't like these. These are my stories** _ **I'll**_ **choose which ones I do, and which ones I focus on; I'm not here to please just one person.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt.**


	5. Zeref didn't lose Mavis?

… _ **.Zeref didn't lose Mavis?**_

Zeref could not remember the last time he felt this warmth. The feeling of holding someone he loved in his arms; the only time he could remember was Natsu's birth, when their mother let Zeref hold him for the first time. But as he pressed his lips against Mavis, and held her close this… the feeling was indescribable. Finally the two broke, as they looked each other in the eye.

"So where do we go now?" Mavis asked softly.

"We go to the country I'm building," Zeref answered, "There we can take shelter, and study the dark magic of Ankhseram, while you rule by my side as Empress."

"But what about my guild?" Mavis asked, "What about Fairy Tail?" Zeref paused to think about it briefly.

"Do you have any skill in Astral Projection?" he asked.

"Yes," Mavis said with a nod, before realizing just what Zeref was suggesting, "Alright, I'll do that." Zeref smiled gently, as he then picked up Mavis.

"Let's go," he said, "I think we've just found the future that Ankhseram cheated from us." Mavis reached up and stroked Zeref's face.

"I'm looking forward to it," Mavis said, also smiling.

 **(decades later)**

Visatarion was a prosperous city, that well represented the empire it was capital of. And the people loved their rulers. Their Emperor and Empress had helped build the world they lived in. However, neither of them left the palace that often, and when they did, it was never public. That was only their physical bodies though…

In an orphanage in the city, the children were never lonely, not with their Empress constantly dropping by. Mavis (or more accurately her projection), was mingling amongst the children, creating animal illusions for them to play with.

"There's no animal I can't create," Mavis said with a smile, "I can create a monkey, and elephant, even a dragon. Or this….." The kids all laughed as she created an illusion chicken with the head of a bearded man, and gathered around to play with it.

"Your Majesty," a little girl said, as she walked up to Mavis.

"Yes, sweetie?" Mavis asked, as she bent down. For the sake of keeping the illusion of being a powerful monarchy, both Mavis and Zeref projected their appearances as adults. Mavis was now in the form of a well endowed, beautiful woman.

"Can you maybe make my daddy appear?" the girl asked. Mavis' smile faded, as she stroked the girl's face.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," she said. She wasn't going to lie to the girl, that would be wrong to do to a child. The girl then teared up slightly, but nodded in understanding. But Mavis wasn't going to leave it like that.

"I don't need to anyway," she said, "Because you still have them with you." The girl looked up in confusion. Mavis pointed to her chest.

"If you keep them in your heart, they'll always be with you," she said, "You don't need an illusion to have them." The girl listened to Mavis, as she cocked her head, only to have the Empress put her forehead against her own.

"Keep them all in your heart, and you'll never be alone." The girl then finally smiled, and nodded. Mavis then rose to her feet.

"I'm afraid I have to go," she said sadly. The kids all cried out in disappointment.

"But don't worry!" Mavis said, "I'll be back soon!"

"Long live Mavis!" the people cried. Mavis just giggled and waved.

"I'll see you all tomorrow!" she said, before fading away.

 **(at the palace)**

Mavis woke up from her astral slumber in her and Zeref's room, as she stretched.

"I want a kid," she whined. But Mavis and Zeref couldn't have children, not with their curse. But once they lifted the curse, Mavis wanted to start having babies as soon as possible. There were times she wanted to start housing the children in the palace, but knew the dangers of the curse.

"Your Majesty," a servant called, knocking on the door, "The Emperor is preparing for the meeting. He asks for your presence." That was important. Nobody "requested" anything from Mavis, they only "asked", not even Zeref.

"Tell him I'll be there soon," Mavis said, as she got out of bed, and stretched slightly. She hated these meetings, but it was part of being an empress.

"Now what should I wear?" she asked.

 **(in the throne room)**

Zeref sat in the great hall, atop a raised throne, with the Shields of Spriggan assembled beneath him. This kept them out of range of their monarch's range of death magic. The way both Mavis and Zeref averted the curse, was they either viewed at their armies as pawns, or simply kept at a safe distance. Their studies bore some fruit, but not enough to find the way to start really effecting the curse. When they did, both immortals looked forward to waking amongst their people themselves.

"When will her Majesty get here?" Neinhart said, "I actually come for this meeting this time to see her." He meant see her past fears, more out of curiosity then anything else.

"My wife comes when she wants," Zeref answered, "No one can tell her what to do."

"How true, dearest," Mavis said as she skipped into the throne room, giggling as she did.

"Hard to believe that's our Empress," Whal Icht whispered to Dimmaria.

"I heard she's older than all of us though," Dimmaria whispered back. Mavis then sat promptly on Zeref's lap. Some of the Shields, despite themselves, looked at Mavis strangely.

"There wasn't another throne," Mavis said with a smile.

"So what was this meeting about?" Invel asked, "You summoned all of us for something, right?"

"Of course," Zeref said, "We are preparing a diplomatic envoy to the Kingdom of Fiore." It wasn't as if that was a particular surprise. After conquering roughly two thirds of the continent, the Emperor and Empress, had abruptly ended the expansion of the empire's borders. They now seemed more interested in negotiation and diplomacy now. Why that was the case, nobody was really sure, but it wasn't their place to argue.

"Do you have any idea who this envoy will be?" Irene asked, tapping her finger on her staff.

"Me," Mavis answered, with a sweet smile. That _was_ surprising.

"Your Majesty," Invel said, "With all due respect, your presence is needed here, in Alvarez."

"I'm familiar with Fiore and its people," Mavis explained, "I also have friendly connections in that country, where reasonable people are."

"We have made our decision," Zeref said, as he wrapped an arm around Mavis, who snuggled up to him, "Trust me, I don't like sending my Empress away anymore than you do. But if there is to be peace between our nations, it is necessary."

"Relax!" Mavis said, smiling big, "I'll be fine!"

 **(on the Eastern coast of Alvarez)**

A large Alvarez fleet was assembled at the docks of one the empire's many ports. The fleet consisted of almost a hundred ships, all for the purpose of protecting their empress. Said empress was apparently standing at the bow of the flagship, looking out over the sea. That was her illusionary form again. The real Mavis was on the docks out of sight, saying her goodbye to her husband.

"Come back soon," Zeref said, stroking her face, "You're the only one I've got left."

"Relax, I'm just going back to my home," Mavis said, and then noticing Zeref's face added, "Alvarez is my home too, don't worry." The two then kissed, before they slowly separated, and Mavis seemed to float up into one of the ships. And as the ships sailed off into the distance, Zeref felt a lonely presence he hadn't felt in decades.

 **Note: This was actually inspired by a small fanart collection I saw on DeviantArt. Can't remember the name though. Try "Zervis AU". I do have to wonder what the longterm story would've been if Zeref and Mavis had been together for their time.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt.**

 **On an unrelated note, why is the YouTube anime community so damn toxic to observe? And why in said community you can like either** _ **One Piece**_ **or** _ **Fairy Tail**_ **(though the latter is likely to get you insulted), but not both?**


	6. Zeref stopped Irene?

… _ **.Zeref stopped Irene?**_

 **(spoiler for 497)**

Zeref watched as Irene performed the enchantment to extra Fairy Heart from Mavis' body. He had to admit, this wasn't how he wanted it to go; never did. But now, as he watched Mavis' face contorted in pain…. The same face that promised that they'd defy the curse of Ankhseram together, something switched in Zeref. And when he saw Mavis look at him, pleadingly, his fists clenched, as his eyes narrowed, and he said one word.

"Stop."

Irene paused, as she looked over her shoulder at her Emperor.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"I told you to stop," Zeref said. When he noticed Irene hadn't stopped, he held up his hand, as black energy swirled through his fingers.

"Do I need to say it a third time?" That time, Irene finally stopped. Mavis looked at Zeref a look of surprise under her relief.

"May I inquire as to why?" Irene said.

"I refuse to let her be tortured like this," Zeref said, "No matter the cause."

"You are aware this is the only way," Irene said, narrowing her eyes.

"You always brag about how you're such a 'high enchanter'," Zeref said, staring Irene down, "Find a way." The two of them remained still for a time, glaring at each other, until Irene finally stepped back before the Black Mage.

"As you wish, your Majesty," she said, as she walked away, "Though it is my obligation to inform you that these emotions will do you no good against Acnologia." Zeref ignored her, as he approached Mavis. He then tapped the ice collar around her neck, causing it to shatter. Mavis let out a gasp, as she sat up, rubbing her head. She then looked at Zeref.

"Why….," she forced out. Zeref averted his eyes slightly.

"Despite everything, your's is still the only face that ever brought me happiness," he said, "I couldn't bring myself to watch that face in pain." Mavis stared at Zeref for a moment. She then jumped at him, and Zeref was caught off guard, when Mavis pressed her lips to his.

For an instant, everything stopped. There was nothing else in existence by Mavis and Zeref. No war, no Alvarez, not even Fairy Tail.

"I've waited a long time to do that," Mavis said, as she pressed her forehead against Zeref's. Zeref then did something he hadn't done in a while. He smiled sincerely.

"I haven't felt this kind of warmth for decades," he said. The heartwarming moment was then shattered by the sound of an explosion.

"Was that one of your's or one of mine?" Zeref asked.

"Impossible to tell," Mavis answered, before cupping her beloved's face, "This has to stop. You'll never be free from Ankhseram so long as you let death rule you." Zeref took a breath as he stepped back from Mavis.

"It won't end, not so long as Acnologia still flies these skies," he said, "If we don't, he can and will destroy this world."

"You seem to be forgetting where you are," Mavis said, flicking Zeref's forehead, "If there's anything Fairy Tail can do, its do the impossible. And if we were to work together, I have no doubt that even Acnologia can and will buckle under our combined strength." Zeref was surprised by the suggestion, before chuckling slightly.

"I can only imagine just how my guard will react to this," he said.

"Forget your guard, try my guild," Mavis said with a joke, "You know that Irene looks quite a bit like Erza."

 **Note: I wrote this one very much on a whim, when I read the recent chapter, which is why it was so short. Zervis is a personal favorite pairing for me, and I certainly enjoy doing it.**

 **Next chapter might see something to do with Erza and Irene.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt. Be note, that while I said I no prompt is a bad one, not all prompts are easy ones to write.**


	7. Irene raised Erza?

… _ **.Irene raised Erza?**_

In the list of words people wouldn't associate with Irene Belserion, "mother" wasn't among them. The Scarlet Despair was ruthless, cunning, and probably one of the most dangerous people in Alvarez. Of course, people who said that generally didn't see it when the woman arrived in Alvarez, holding a baby girl in her arms.

Erza Belserion was among the finest warriors in all of Alvarez, able to give even Dimmaria the Valkyrie a run for her money. She looked exactly like her mother, with the same long, scarlet hair, strong eyes, and powerful aura. However, unlike her mother, Erza utilized Re-Quip magic, which disappointed Irene somewhat, but that didn't stop her from having the strength level she did.

Erza was currently practicing her sword techniques in the palace courtyard on magical dummies shaped like giant monsters. The dummies were toys that Erza and bought from a local toy store (never hurt to boost the local economy where possible) enchanted by her mother's magic. With a yell, Erza bisected a giant humanoid tiger, before turning on her heel, and cutting of the head of a giant snake with the head of a wolf. From the sidelines, watched Irene, sipping a cup of tea.

"You're slowing down, dear," she said, barely looking up.

"I'm doing my best, Mother!" Erza said, as she re-quipped her sword into a long spear, and pierced it through the chest a giant centaurid-spider carrying a sword.

"If that were the case, you'd have already won," Irene said, gesturing to a sand-dial hovering next to her, "If you run out of time, you know the punishment." Erza shivered at that. She didn't want go through that unless absolutely necessary. So with a yell, she struck down the next monster again.

This continued for about an hour, until finally, Erza struck down the last monster. She panted, as she looked over at her Mother with a triumphant smile. Then she saw that the sand had run out. Irene set the tea cup aside.

"Well, you failed," she said with a sigh, "You know what happens now." Erza sighed with acceptance.

"Can it at least be…"

"Nope," Irene said as she flicked her wrist. Erza's body was suddenly engulfed in a large light. When the light faded was a white swan with red markings along its head. The swan let out a distressed honk.

"Oh relax," Irene said, as she stroked her transformed daughter's head, "Worse has been done to you, and not by me. But you know the punishment, you have to spend one hour in this form." The swan looked down at the ground.

"Come now, I could've turned you into a salamander or mouse," Irene said, "Now follow me, I want you to watch my next meeting." The girl turned swan opened her wings, and flapped after her enchanter mother.

As Irene promised, Erza spent the next hour as a swan. That was Irene's usual punishment when Erza did something wrong, or failed in a given task, she turned her daughter into an animal for exactly one hour; admittedly this was one of the better ones; once when Erza failed a math test, her mother turned her into a parakeet. At least, Irene never turned her into anything less than a frog. Eventually, that hour passed, and with a flick of her finger, Irene turned Erza back to normal.

"Try using a lighter sword more next time," Irene said, "It expends lest energy."

"Yes Mother," Erza said.

"Now change out of that ridiculous armor," Irene instructed, "You're a lady of Alvarez. Dress accordingly." Erza's body then started to glow.

"Change like everyone else," Irene said, holding up her hand. Erza frowned, but didn't protest, as she walked back to her room.

Being a daughter of one of the Shields of Spriggan, and in all likely probably a future Shield herself, meant Erza got all the luxuries a noble would get, and then some. Not that Erza ever demanded such luxuries, if anything she found them wholly unnecessary. But she had to maintain an image, whether she liked it or not. Erza's room was large, with a queen-sized bed, and a large bath. Lying about the walls were more than a few sets of armor and weapons. Erza sighed as she took off her breastplate, and set her sword aside.

"Now what to wear?" she mused, as she looked rifled through her closet. Eventually, she settled on a bright red dress, the same color of her hair, with golden symbols of Alvarez. She then looked at the mirror, and figured she'd might as well do something with her hair, and seeing as her mother wasn't there to watch her, Erza used her magic to do her hair in a loose, wavy style.

"I better have done this all for a reason," she said, before thinking _Like meeting the Emperor._ True, Erza had yet to meet Spriggan, the Emperor of Alvarez, and she did desire to (any knight wished to meet her liege), but in all the years, whenever Irene had been called to meet with him, she always left her daughter with a couple of handmaidens.

Erza walked over to the balcony, looking over the capital. In her life, she'd only ever left the capital a few times, mostly to join her mother and military campaigns, and had never once left Alvarez (unless you counted lands that were since conquered by the empire). She heard that her mother and come from the continent across the sea, Ishgar, where Erza had been born. Why Irene left and took her to Alvarez, she never told her. Not that it mattered, Erza's loyalty was to Alvarez through and through.

As the noble walked down the halls, she tugged on her dress with discomfort. The only thing Erza could say in this things favor, was that it looked quite nice (let no one say the red-head didn't have an eye for fashion). Her mother would sometimes toy with the notion of Erza getting married, but both of them knew it was too early. Not to mention there probably wasn't a suitor in Alvarez, if not the world, that could meet Irene's standard for marrying her daughter. Not that Erza didn't want to get married, if the right man came around.

Eventually, Erza came down to one of the palace gardens, where she noticed her mother sitting, spinning a dagger through her fingers.

"Mother," Erz agreed.

"Ah, Erza," Irene said with a smile, "Sit with me, my girl." Erza did as her mother instructed, and sat beside her. Irene tossed the dagger into the air, and waved her hand. The dagger then flashed, and turned into a canary, which perched on Irene's finger.

"I should enchant some of your armor," she said, "Imagine what it could do."

"Forgive me, Mother," Erza said, "But I'd rather use my own skills to triumph over Alvarez's enemies. That is what you always taught me."

"So I did," Irene said, as the canary turned back into a dagger, and she threw it into the ground, "But you know how I worry." Erza was then surprised when Irene reached up and stroked her face.

"When you were a baby, you'd always reach for the sharpest object you could see," she said, "I was always cared you'd cut yourself. Now I barely see you without a sword."

"I merely liked to be prepared," Erza said, smiling.

"You're like me in that sense," Irene said. She then tugged her daughter closer. Erza couldn't help but smile, as she lay her head in her mother's lap, as Irene ran her fingers through her daughter's hair.

"In all honesty, I don't think I can ever see you as anything other than my little girl."

"Mother," Erza said softly, as she snuggled into Irene's lap.

 **Note: It should be quickly noted, that while its been widely accepted at this point that Irene is Erza's mother, it** _ **may**_ **be too earlier to declare that. While they're assuredly related, there isn't any confirmation that Irene** _ **is**_ **Erza's mother. So to that end, we should probably still technically treat it as a fan theory for the time being.**

 **I know the primary argument against that, is how young Irene looks, but if you think about the portrayal of women in FT, unless they're significantly old (like Porlyuisca and Obaba), they'll look younger. Besides, Irene is an enchanter that can give personalities to inanimate objects, making herself look younger probably wouldn't be difficult.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt. Soon you'll be seeing a combination of this chapter, and Chapter 3.**


	8. Natsu and Erza grew up in Alvarez?

… _ **.Natsu and Erza grew up in Alvarez?**_

There was an old saying that caging a dragon was akin to inviting an apocalypse. And while Natsu wasn't a dragon, the analogy wasn't entirely unfit to describe him as well. The Fire Dragon Slayer was trying to entertain himself by swimming in one of the many pools within the imperial palace, but found it was just as boring. Happy was curled up on Natsu's chest as he floated over the water

"Will something just happen," he moaned.

"Don't talk," Happy mumbled, "I'm trying to sleep." Natsu glanced at his friend, before looking back at the glass ceiling.

"Behold the great Prince Natsu of Alvarez." Natsu looked up, and noticed a red headed girl wearing a purple bathing suit sitting at the edge of the pool.

"Yo Erza!" Natsu said, waving, "What's up?"

"Not you're motivation it seems." Erza Belserion was the daughter of one of Zeref's most trusted generals and ministers, Irene the Scarlet Despair. The two had known each since they were children, having grown up together in Alvarez.

"You're the prince, maybe even the future emperor," Erza said, as she slid into the pool, and started backstroking, "You need to exude strength and nobility."

"Zeref's immortal," Natsu said, as he closed his eyes, "He'll never die."

"First off, that's redundant," Erza said, not stopping her stroke as she came to the edge of the pool, and started backstroking back, "Second of which, his Majesty still needs an heir. For all we know, he may abdicate." She noticed Natsu looking up at her with confusion.

"Step down from the throne," she explained, "That would mean you'd be Emperor of Alvarez."

"If Zeref does that, then _I'd_ kill him myself," Natsu said. The prince was probably the only person who could say that and get away with it. Erza sighed as she lapped the pool.

"You have an obligation to our nation," she said, "Just like I do."

"You're not the one who may have to emperor," Natsu said.

"Empress," Erza corrected.

"Whatever." Shortly after that, a servant entered into the pool room.

"Your Highness, the Emperor wishes to speak with you," he said.

"Ah crap," Natsu griped, "What does Zeref want now?"

"Only one way to find out," Erza said, as she swam over, and picked Happy off his chest, "Go meet with your brother."

"Do I have…." Natsu didn't finish as Erza konked him on the head.

"Yes." Natsu moaned, as he pulled himself out of the pool. The servant wasn't surprised by the noblewoman's act of defiance to the prince. It had happened since they were kids. Natsu left the pool, not changing out of his bathing suit, grumbling to himself as he walked down the hall.

"I'd take boredom over dealing with Zeref," he said, as he came to the door of his brother's study, kicking it open. Zeref was sitting at his desk, scribbling down something Natsu didn't care about.

"That was a good door," Zeref said calmly, not looking back at his door.

"What do you want?" Natsu said, "You keep me caged up in this palace, and don't let me do anything I want to…."

"What you want could lead to the destruction of half the city," Zeref said as he set the document aside, and went up to one of the bookshelf, and started rifling through the titles.

"What'd you even bring me for?" Natsu asked, folding this arms.

"Very well, I'll get to the point," Zeref said, looking at his brother, "You need to marry."

"….say what?"

"You heard me," Zeref said.

"I don't want to get married!" Natsu said, waving his arms frantically.

"You're a prince, you have a responsibility to this nation."

"Now you sound like Erza!" Zeref paused to think briefly.

"Irene's daughter," he said, "That's not a bad idea. I should talk to Irene about that."

"Wait… what!" Natsu said, "I can't marry Erza, she's my friend! It'd be so weird!"

"Come now," Zeref said, with a smile, "She's beautiful, strong, intelligent, I can't think of any reason you shouldn't want to marry her." Natsu opened his mouth, but actually, to his surprise, found himself unable to really name a reason either.

"Why do I even need to get married?" he asked.

"Again, you have an obligation to your empire," Zeref said, as he flipped a book, "You are my sole heir."

"I heard you had someone in Ishgar," Natsu said, "What happened to her?" Zeref twitched slightly. Only Natsu could make the Emperor do that.

"We're talking about you," he said, clearing his throat, "I will speak with Irene about betrothing you and Erza."

"Do you have to?" Natsu whined.

"My decision is made up."

"But she's my friend!"

"I know, I heard you the first time."

 **(the next day)**

Erza stood beside her mother in the throne room, awaiting the Emperor's announcement. Also in the throne room were some of the other Shields of Spriggan, and several of the Imperial Ministers. Zeref was sitting on his throne, with a calm expression, as Natsu stood beside him, Happy on his shoulder.

"I called you hear for an important announcement concerning the future of Alvarez," Zeref explained, "It is of the utmost importance of the empire's future be assured, so to that end, I have decided to see to it that my brother marries, and produces an heir to ensure the throne." That surprised Erza. Her oldest friend was getting married, and she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Since she was a kid, she had a crush on Natsu. The notion of him getting married…. If not for her mother being next to her, Erza would've run out of the room.

"And to that end, I have selected that my brother's wife will be Lady Erza, the daughter of our Lady Irene."

Erza's heart leapt into her throat. _She_ was going marry Natsu. Her feelings were a mad mix of shock, relief, and joy. Erza looked at her mother, who looked at her as well, with a satisfied smile, making the daughter wonder how much the mother had pushed for this.

"Come, Lady Erza," Zeref said, gesturing. Erza was going to go over there anyway, but Irene telekinetically pushed her daughter forward. The red-head walked up to the throne room, kneeling at the throne.

"Your Majesty, I am honored by this arrangement," she said, "I hope to do well by the empire."

"Rise, Lady Erza," Zeref said, "You will be family soon enough." He then looked expectantly at Natsu, who didn't seem to know what to do. So Erza did the work for him, and took her finance's hand, and stood before the hall, as many of the ministers applauded.

"Well, this could've gone worse," she said to her friend.

"This is going to be so weird," Natsu whined.

"Relax," Erza said, "What's the worse that could happen?"

 **Note: Now this is an idea that, in hindsight, seems really obvious. If anything this concept lends itself to a lot of possibility.**

 **For the sake of keeping this fic from becoming too devoted to one concept, I'm trying not to continue these ideas to relatively sharp one-shots (mostly to introduce ideas), unless I get enough requests to continue certain concepts (again this is supposed to be a collection of one-shots). That said, if anyone likes some of these ideas, they're free to take a crack themselves. Maybe if time permits me I'll start a full story based on this concept; but no promises.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt.**


	9. Mavis raised Larcade?

… _ **.Mavis raised Larcade?**_

Everyone knew the saying "older than you look", but Mavis **embodied** __that saying. Physically, she was only thirteen, but chronologically, she was over one hundred years old, making her the oldest guild member. But if that wasn't enough, imagine seeing this pre-teen girl with a young man with blonde hair, and being told that they were mother and son.

Yeah, it would be more than a little mind-blowing.

No one really knew Larcade's backstory, or who is faster was, only that he stayed on Tenrou Island with his mother, and that neither of them really talked about it, like at all. And the guild knew better than to pry, though it was still quite a surprise when Larcade first announced his presence to the group on Tenrou Island, and that he was the son of the First. But when the Grand Magic Games came around, they were all pretty happy to have a new fighter their side, and if he was as capable as Mavis said he was, they had a good chance.

"I don't get what everyone's so worked up about," Larcade said, leaning on his hand, as he looked around the crowd, "Macao told me that these kinds of fights happen all the time at the guild."

"The only difference is that these fights don't involve major property damage," Cana said.

"Though I wouldn't put it past Salamander to break the whole damn stadium when he comes into the fight," Gajeel said.

"Is it true that one fifth of the annual budget goes to paying for damages?" Larcade asked, cocking his head curiously.

"Well, in Natsu's defense, the mission is always completed," Mirajane said.

"And normally he ends up doing more damage than the monster he was sent to deal with," Laxus said, rolling his eyes. Larcade couldn't help but snicker at that. His mother always did tell him that when she first conceived of the guild, she envisioned it as a very rowdy place. And if the guild wasn't rowdy then what was it? Everyone then quite down to hear the next matchup.

"Looks like the next match is Larcade of Fairy Tail Team B, against Millianna of Mermaid Heel!" Lola announced.

"Me?" Larcade asked, somewhat surprised.

"Alright you got this," Cana said, patting him on the back, "Go kick some ass for Fairy Tail!"

"Alright then," Larcade answered calmly, as he leapt from his place in the stands, and down to the ground. Millianna soon followed suit.

"Go Larcade!" Mavis cheered, "Make Mommy proud!" Larcade just sweat dropped at his mother's antics.

"Come to think of it," Makarov said as he stood next to Mavis sitting place, "I'm not that sure what kind of magic the boy uses."

"When he was born, Larcade demonstrated a high amount of magic potential," Mavis explained, with a confident smile, "Since he was young, I've tried to figure out what he can do, but he's proven himself a jack of all trades. But…" She then frowned briefly.

"I forbid you from using _that_ magic!" Mavis instructed her son, "It would be far too indecent!"

"Duly noted," Larcade answered calmly, more to himself, as he took a breath, and pressed his hands together, and looked at Millianna, "Erza has told me about you."

"That's great to know!" Millianna said, smirking, as she pulled her coat, "But I ain't going to go easy on you just because you're Erzy's friend!"

"Same to you," Larcade said, returning the smirk, "I definitely can't lose now, not with my mother watching." Right then, the gong rung, signifying the match beginning.

"Then you're mom's going to be disappointed!" Millianna declared, as she held up her hand, "Bad Kitty Restraint!" Her magic seal then appeared before her, and her Cat Tube appeared out of it, and lashed at Larcade, who didn't move. Instead, he deflected the tube with his hand with no issue.

"Is that it?"

"Not even close!" Millianna answered, as she held her other hand, and another seal came up. Another several tubes lashed out at Larcade, who shifted, and twisted out of the way. He then held up his own hand, as beams of light appeared around him, which shot at Millianna who leapt out of the way.

"Its not going to be that easy," Larcade said, as he waved a finger, as hands of light manifested and reached for Millianna, who had to run to avoid the attacks.

"Alright!" Millianna declared, as she slipped off her gloves, revealing her sharp nails, "No Ms. Nice Kitty!" She then leapt at Larcade, hoping to beat him in hand to hand combat. However, when she attempted to scotch him, Larcade easily dodged the attack. So Millianna tried again. And again. And again. And again. Each time ended no better than the last, and Millianna was getting angry.

"Dang it!" she snapped, "Why won't you go down!"

"Nothing personal," Larcade answered, "But you're a long way away from bring me down." He then pushed her back, and clapped his hands together. Around him appeared eight perfect sphere's of light, each about the size of a fist. The balls then came around Millianna.

"Transcendence." The balls of light then all exploded into an even bigger flash of light, and when it faded, Millianna was seen beaten, and maybe two thirds conscious.

"Gah," was all the cat girl could see, her eyes in swirls.

"She'll be fine," Kagura said from the stands.

"Was a pretty lopsided match though," Risley said.

"Millianna is skilled," Erza said, as she and Team A stood in their own stands, "But Larcade is still way out of her level."

"I guess that's to be expected from Master Mavis' son," Wendy said. Larcade took a breath, as he composed himself.

"Way to go sweetie!" Mavis said, as she jumped up and down waving Fairy Tail flags. Larcade just snickered slightly. While he knew only Fairy Tail members could see him, it was hard not to be embarrassed. When it came to the guild, any child who at some point wasn't embarrassed by their parents, didn't have a true childhood.

 **(later in the Honey Bone Inn)**

"I'm so proud of you!" Mavis said, hugging her son, even though she only came up to his upper stomach, "You were amazing!"

"I just won a fight," Larcade said, as he hugged his mother back, or at least tried to, considering that Mavis was still technically intangible. Though Mavis always found some way to hug Larcade whenever she needed to. When he was little, and would have nightmares, she'd sleep with him, and even though she couldn't touch him, that didn't mean Larcade couldn't feel his mother's warmth.

"You represented your guild, and fought for your guild," Mavis insisted, " _You_ should be proud." Larcade chuckled slightly at that, as he sat back in the chair, and looked over his guild mates doing what they did best, which was cause chaos.

"I wonder what Father would think of this," Zeref said. Mavis took a breath, as she sat on the table beside her boy.

"He would be proud of you as well," she said, with a gentle smile, "Now…" Mavis then leaned forward and kissed Larcade on the forehead.

"Take it easy," she said, "You may already fought, but something tells me you're going have to fight again."

"Yes Mother," Larcade said, "Trust me, I don't anticipate myself getting involved in this kind of ridiculousness."

"Its not 'ridiculousness'," Mavis said, "Its Fairy Tail, be proud of your family."

'But you're my only…" Larcade paused, as he remembered one of the first things he remembered his mother telling him.

" _You may be my son, sweetie, but Fairy Tail will always be your family."_

Larcade looked at his mother who merely smiled at him. He then looked back towards the guild, which had taken to surfing on barrels.

"I guess so."

 **Note: This was inspired very much by the most recent chapters. The mindset amounts to Mavis raising Larcade through the thought projection. That said, it pays not to think too much about this idea in this particular context. Analyzing the major details of any given concept should be saved for a full length story, which this obviously isn't.**

 **Obviously this concept opens a lot of opportunity, but it stands to be mentioned that again, these are just one shots to introduce ideas, and play around with it a little. Also, if you like an idea, no reason why you can't do a story about it yourself.**

 **Be sure to review and prompt.**

 **To go on a (hopefully) brief tangent, ScrewAttack is apparently doing a Death Battle between Zoro and Erza. While I like both characters, I'm not looking forward to this fight (while I'm rooting for Erza, I think the match could be a tossup, because both of them are seen doing some pretty incredible feats). This will just stoke further antagonism between** _ **Fairy Tail**_ **and** _ **One Piece**_ **fans, which is really not needed.**


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